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Bexley board sends Fitzgerald sign package to architectural review after design concerns
Summary
The Board of Zoning and Planning remanded the Fitzgerald sign package to the Architectural Review Board for design review, citing concerns that proposed blade and projecting signs are architectural elements that should be reviewed by ARB; applicants said they will present revisions at ARB on July 9 and return to the board by July 23.
The City of Bexley Board of Zoning and Planning voted to remand the proposed sign package for the Fitzgerald development at 2200 East Main Street to the city’s Architectural Review Board (ARB) for a design recommendation.
Staff presented the package as a framework to allow staff-level approval of tenant signage under fixed parameters: three types of signs were described — front-facing tenant boxes (reverse- or halo-lit letters), hanging retail/retail-directional signs and blade/perpendicular signs for office tenants and project identification. Staff said the package would let staff approve consistent tenant signs without returning each tenant application to the board.
Applicants Bruce Summerfelt and Jason Hawkstock told the board the intent was to keep the signage visually consistent and to let tenant branding appear within that framework. Jason Hawkstock said the developers “would try to blend the sign in so that the colors would match” the development’s overall look.
Several board members questioned whether the blade signs and the Fitzgerald projecting sign were, in practice, architectural elements that change the building’s frontage and therefore should be reviewed by ARB. One member said the proposed projecting Fitzgerald sign felt “more than just a sign” and suggested ARB — which focuses on architectural design — should weigh in before this board gives final approval. The board discussed options: (a) approve the sign package subject to ARB approval, (b) remand to ARB and have a revised package return for this board’s final action, or (c) remand and accept ARB’s recommendation as sufficient. Members favored a full ARB review.
A member of the public, Janey Blank, asked about the nighttime appearance, saying, “Are those white? They’re just backlit white?” Applicants confirmed the intent to use white, backlit illumination with a consistent color temperature across tenant signage.
After discussion the board voted to remand the package to ARB for a design recommendation. Board members and staff discussed timing: ARB’s next scheduled meeting is July 9; applicants indicated they could present to ARB then and return to the Board of Zoning and Planning with any revisions for the board’s July 23 meeting.
Why it matters: The Fitzgerald is a prominent Main Street project; decisions about projecting signs, blade signs and illumination will shape the building’s visual frontage, pedestrian streetscape and how the project identifies tenants and public parking. The board emphasized a need for a clear, consistent tenant-sign guideline to be used by the landlord when leasing first-floor spaces.
What’s next: The developers will present the sign package to ARB (July 9). The Board of Zoning and Planning expects a revised packet and ARB recommendation when the Fitzgerald returns for review, likely at its next regularly scheduled meeting.
